Up a Plum Tree.

Observer, Volume 9, Issue 524, 5 January 1889, Page 7

Up a Plum Tree.

FLEASIiI, sir,' said old Zeruiah, th e^ house-keeper, ' there's a man up in the plum-tree !' ' ;Up in the plum-tree! 1 repeated Mr Brown. • And what's he doing up in fcheplnmtree ? It ain't the lime o' year for rips plums.' 1 No,' said Zeruiah, giving the frying-pan that she was cleaning an extra scrape with the knife, ' 'taint time c' year for plums to be ripe. But it's always lime* o' year lor young men to make fools of themselves, and the third branch of that 'ar plum-tree is on a line with the window of Arabella Arden's room.' ' Eh ?' said Mr Brown, dropping his newspaper and opening his eyes very wide. ' As true as you live sir,' said Zeruiah. 4 .But that was precisely what my brother sent her down here for,' said Mr Brown, contracting his bald forehead to innumerable wrinkles. 'To keep her out of Hubert Wynton's way !' ' Humph !' said Zeruiah. ' The world is wide, but it ain't v.kio enough to keep two fools apart.' '. Up in the plum-tree, is he ?' said Mr Brown, with a sardonic smile, ' What sort of a looking fellow is he, Zeruiah ?' ' Wall,' answered the old woman, still holding the frying-pan as Minerva of old might have held her shield, { the leaves is thick, and my sight ain't what it once was ; but he's got light-colored clothes on, as was never cut in these parts ; and his hat that lays out on the grass, has got a city maker's name in it.' ' Good V nodded Mr Brown. ' You ought to have been a detective, Ruey. They would give you good wages, I'll bet a big apple. Where's the hat?" 'I brung it in and put it on the hall table,' answered Zeruiah. ( Very well. Go out and chain Cajsar under the plain tree. Give him a good length of chain, liuey. Then come back and move all Arabella's things into the west bedroom. I'll take the end room myself, If there'? any serenading, or poetry-reciting, or anything of that sort, I'll have the benefit of it myself.' A slow &mile broke out over Zeruiah's wooden lace. ' But what'll you tell her ?' said she. ' Tell her ? Why, that the end room is a better aspect for my rheumatism, 1 said Mr Brown chuckling. '• And make haste, or she'll bo back from Widow Pete's. Everything must be moved before she returns. And pull the shade down so the city chap won't suspicion what we're up to. J Oil" trudged Zeruiah, who, in spite of her having first seen the light on the rugged coasts of Maine, was at heart a true Spanish duenna, and took a grim delight in frustrating the intents of Cupid, Bella Ardsn was young and pretty. Bella had dared to ridicule her eld- fashioned ideas. Bella had nick-named her 'Medusa,' and. though Zeruiah had not the least idea who ' Medusa ' was, she dimly suspected that it was no complimentary term. And, therefore, Zeruiah was not sorry to see the pretty city girl ' come up with,' as she phrased it. 'Why, Uncle Brown,' cried Bplls, when she came in, with her fair hair blown about her face and her cheeks reddened hj her brisk walk across hill and hollow, ' why have you changed my room V' ' Well, you see, my dear,' said Mr Brown, craftily, * I've an idea that the cast room will suit my rheumatism better. You don't mind ?' ' Oh, not in the least?' said Bella, cheerfully. * And I'll go right to work and arrange the things that that cross old Zeraiah has flung about bo recklessly. Oh, by the way, uncle, there was no letter for me, 1 suppose ?' as she glanced at the weekly paper lying unfolded on the table, ' for I see they have brought the mail.' ' No, my dear,' said Mr Brown, ' no letters.' And the cows came, wi;h tinkling bells, home from the fern- scented pastures, and the sun sank behind the reedy swamps, and the purple dimness of twilight began to brood over all things, and still Hubert Wynton, prisoned up among the tossing plum boughs, waited in vain for some prospect of his release. 4 Confound these good people . said he to himself. ' What on earth have they chained that savage beast here for just now? And I believe I must have made a mistake— that is not Bella's room at all. A stout old man has sat there, reading the paper, all the afternoon, and I haven't dared to stir, for fear of being shot for a burglar. I've seen the darling once or twice picking flowers in the garden, and bringing water from the spring, but I haven't ventured to call her, for fear of betraying my hiding-place. Shades of Epicurus ! how good that frying chick smells— Coffee, too? I'd give a king's ransom for a cup of it •' Poor Hubert ! He could net stir for fear of rousing Cajsar'3 deep low-pitched bark and compromising himself and Bella, but he grew stiller and more cramped with every second of his enforced vigil. ' They must take the dog to his kennel before long,' he thought, as the dew suffused the air with moisture and the night-birds began to wheel about the luxuriant branches of the old tree. But presently Zeruiah came out with a tin pan of water and a platter of bones to break Cresar's fast. 'Is it all right, Euey?' said Mr Brown in a sort of stage-whisper, from the kitchen door. • All right, sir 1' Zeruiah answered. And then, in a lightning-flash, as it were, Hubert comprehended it all. He was entrapped. That weazien-faced old woman and the malicious elderly uncle of his beloved were in league to be his jailors. He whistled softly to himself. Caesar, from below, left off crunching his bones, and uttered a deep thunderous growl at the sound. From the distance the echo of voices reached him— careless laughter and stray sentences here and there. 4 It's Belton and Ralph Weir, coming back to the inn after their day's shooting,' he thought. ' If I conld only get a word to them !' He tore a leaf from his pocket-book, scribbled a line or two on it as well as he could in th 6 uncertain dusk, and, wrapping it around his watch, flnag it as far as his aim could reach towards the swamp.

1 Matters are getting serious,' he said to himself. Bui the missive had not been without its use. 1 Hello !' said Weir ; • a shooting star.' ' A white bird 1' exclaimed Belton, checking his long, swinging stride. ' No, it isn't cither, it's a watch with a letter wrapped around it. 1 ' And then, in the swampy fastnesses, by lh« light of a few matches, they deciphered ihu ciy for aid which had come from the plum tree. ' Whew-w-w ;' said Weir. ' Let's go and shoot the dog,' Let's do nothing of the sort.' said Belton. What would we — or poor, old Wyntou, either — gain by declaring direct war in that port of way ? Let's be polite or nothing.' And he fired his rifle three times in the air, a sort of signal recognition of his personal iiieud. ' What's that T said Mr Brown, who was computing the interest on a promissory note at the sitting-room table by the light of a kerosene lamp. ' 1 dunno, 1 said Hue, ' nnltS3 ii's Mr Hall shootin' rats in his hen-roost. 1 'Oh, Uncle .Brown,, cried Bella, with clasped hands, ' I hope there are no burglars around.'' ' Never heard of such a thing hue, my dear,' said the old man. In the dead of that same night, however, two masked men appeared iny^ loriou.-jly in MiBrown's bed-room. , ' Your money or your life,' said one. ' Miser, unhand your treasure!" :-iiouL-d the other. Old Mr Brown lay quakinr their, quite hopelessly, when in an instant, a lithe Jo: in sprang through the open window, balnnciiv.; ihdf a second on the sill, and then h«i!fnul to the rescue. A brief struggle ensued : hut at la.-v the masked burglars fled precipi tardy, C;< .a.r barking wildly at them, and straining ir.;; vhv.'ui to the utmost in his effort to wreak his vc-v^incc upon them. 1 Young fellow,' cried Use old ui;in, .-er:i tabling out of bed, 'you've saved my }\Ut, ha-idc tho money that was under my piliusv. What, can I do to reward you '?' He was very pale and trcmbk'.i violently. ' I'd like something to tai, n" you pltn^e. sir,' said Wynton. 'To teil you thoiiuth. I've jutt come out of the plum tree.' 'Yes, 1 know,' said Bruwn, rreovc;rin» .Inm.-e-lf a little. 'You're the fellow that iy in love with our Bella, ain't you ?' 'I don't deny it, sir,' said W.viiton. boldly. 1 Well, you deserve her, 1 said Mr !>rowij ; and you shall have nor. It was ( that ordfiitd the dog chained up the plum- Ire-. 1 meant !o balk you if I could, but I've changed ray mind. I should have been a dead man, young kl!o\v, if it hadn't been for you. Con if right clown itairs this moment. Nothing in this house i* 100 good for you !' And he wrung Wyn'on's hand until it teemed as if it were grasped in an iron vyco. A strange midnight collation it \wis-- iha cci'i'c-e and cold fowl, and biscuits and tongue, eaten with Bella nestling close to his-: side, find Mr lirown heaping all sorts of indiscriminate dainties upon his plate, whiie old Zeruia'n's lace gloweied out of the darkness of the kitchen like a badly-lighted polyopticon. But a happy one- -yes, a very iiapuy one. A constabulary force wrre jji'ompiiy notiiied the next morning, and a search instituh-u, but to no avail. Nothing was estr hcuia ci the two masked burglars. But when Mr Wynlon csme Lack lo (he inn, the following day, to order his portmanteau, removed to the Brown ianii-hou:-v, ar.d bid his late colleagues adieu ; he wrung Bel ton's hand alternately with that of Weir. ' I don't know how I can ever thank you, boys,' said he. ' Not for the rescue from a rather sorry plight— brute force could hay« done that with a blow on the dog's head— but for the manner of it. I'm a great, io.p.u now in Brown's estimation, and Bella thinks lama heic. And it's all owing to you.' 'Oh, don't mention it, old fellow!' -aid \\'-Ai\ 'How did you like me as first ruffian '.' ' By the way,' added Belton, ' I've buried the masks. Circumstantial evidence, you know. They might get us into trouble-.' ' You'll invite us to the wedding, cf ccur?e?' queried Weir. ' Oh, yes !' said Wynton, beamingly. ' And may I kiss the bride !' asked Bdlon. 'Of course you may !' said Wynton. And Belton observed, thoughtfully, that he considered that reward enough for any man.

— ' The rules belnnil tLe scenes at the Savoy,' saya Mr George Gros3Uiith, in his newlypublished volume of reminiscences ' A .Society Clown,' ' are very strict. No visitors, thank goodness, are allowed to be hanging 1 about the .stage or Btanding at the wings. There are soparsito staircases for the ladies and gentlemen. We arc all a very happy family ; jealous feeling 1 and spirit are conspicuous by their absence ; and the ' under* studies ' experience no difficulty in getting every help and support, if required, from the principals whose parts are to be played in case of absence or illness. There are no mashers waiting- at the Btage door. Presents and love-letters are few and far between ; in fact during the ten years I have been on tho stage I have only received one. 1 confess I am a little hurt by the notion ; but perhaps it is just as well. The letter referred to was not well worded, and the spelling certainly might have been better. The lady, T am sure, was quite sincere in her expressed adoration of me, and I appreciated her candid confession that she had no prejudice against my 'callin' ; but the i postcript was certainly disappointing. It ran thus :— "P.S.— Next Sunday is my Sunday out." ' — The greatest wall in the world is the Chinese Wall, built by the first Emperor of the T sin dynasty, about 221 8.C., aa a protection against Tartars. It traverses the northern boundary of China and is carried over the highest hills, through the deepest valleys, across rivers and every other natural obstacle. Its length is 1,250 miles. Including a parapet of fivo feet the total height of the 'vallis2o feet ; thickness at the base 25 feet, and at the top 15 feet. Towers ov bastions occur at intervals of about 100 yards. Cheap Dinnek Dish. — To each pound of beef minced fine add one-half pound of grated bread, season to taste, and mix with two beaten eggs. Put in a greased mould and steam two hours : serve turned out with mashed potatoes.